Cost of Cyberliving

By AhmedGeneral

Nice comparison of hourly rates for internet cafes in different countries:

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=2594

Good to see Pakistan having one of the lowest, only higher than Turkey’s, but it doesn’t mention the quality of the net connection. Most of the cafes here run entirely on a single dialup connection which you can hardly do much with. Then again, most people’s concept of the internet is only instant messaging which, being plain text, works well on these setups.

4 thoughts on “Cost of Cyberliving”

  1. the quality of internet service in Pakistan is a big joke. obviously its gonna be cheap. it would be a different story if we had broadband.

  2. You’re right. And it’s here that you truly realize that ignorance is bliss. I’m often asked why I haven’t used the net for so long. I always reply with a “but I’m online almost the whole day, every day” when what they mean is why I haven’t signed on to Yahoo IM for so long to waste my time.

    The most frustrating part is sending someone a link to a web page. I get bewildered responses as though I’ve asked them to open a worm hole to the next galaxy or make gold from sawdust. It was only after some time that I realised it’s because most people don’t know there exists a virtual world outside of chatting. And it’s the cable providers who put hundreds of people on a single dialup connection that are to blame for that.

    I think part of the problem is also the tight grip that broadband providers have on pricing. There’s also the “monkey see, monkey do” thinking that a lot of Pakistanis seem to have which prevents them from trying something new themselves until it has become very common.

  3. hi,

    I read your blog with interest, am in lahore for a month to try and organise my brothers wedding, I have to keep in touch with affairs back home and send pics/videos to and fro, a cable connection/dsl connection would help immensely but I can’t connect one where I’m staying, the price is prohibitively expensive.

    I was wondering if anyone knew of any fast internet cafe’s anywhere in Lahore. I know there used to be one in Pace, but apparently that has closed down now, and the only place pple have fast net connections are at work.

    Any help would be much appreciated.

    Thanks,

    Haider
    (p.s. ban msn and yahoo messenger and see pakistan’s productivity rise)

  4. Hi Haider,

    Since I live in Islamabad and only visit Lahore once in a blue moon,
    I don’t know of any places which you can use. However, you might be able
    to get some help from a friend of mine, an ex-colleague actually, who
    works for Dancom Online (DSL provider).

    Just call 111-505-555 and ask for Kashif Shafiq. In Islamabad, there are
    a number of good options, such as “Broadband Cafe” in Jinnah Super. Since
    Lahore is a much bigger city, you should be able to find more such cafes
    there.

    Hope that helps.

    Sajjad

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